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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — a hint
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — final
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. staff — employees
  11. cue — for pool
  12. last — finally
  13. cue — a signal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. last — to go on
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com